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"Snifty" Chandler
In Biggles and the Plane That Disappeared, "Snifty" Chandler was the pilot of a smuggling operation which ferried contraband and people illegally between the west of Britain and the south of France. Chandler was once a sergeant pilot in the R.A.F. but had been court-martialed and thrown out of the service for flying while drunk. Chandler somehow managed to get a job as a flying instructor with a club in the north of England but either left or got dismissed after a short period of time. He then moved on to another instructing job at the Marsdale Flying School near Oxford, where he met a former squadron mate Gordon who was also teaching at the school. Gordon did not inform the school management about his service record for a time, wanting to give him a chance. However, when Chandler attempted to fly while drunk again, Gordon had no choice but to inform the club secretary who sacked Chandler on the spot. Subsequently, Chandler entered into a partnership with one Dr Paul Hammal to operate an air smuggling service out of a farmhouse in Somerset. To obtain an aircraft for the enterprise, Chandler, under an assumed name of Lancelot Litton, hired a Piper Cub for a joyride from Kingsmead Flying Club. Once airborne, he held up the pilot Taffy Welsh and forced him to divert to his farmhouse in Somerset. Investigations by the Air Police traced his stolen aircraft to Lysett, which Chandler had used as a refueling stop under the name of John Maxwell, to and from his farmhouse and a landing zone in the Plaine de la Crau in the south of France. Bertie, on Chandler's trail, followed him out of Lysett in an Auster but was forced to land near the farmhouse because of an engine malfunction. Chandler sensed an opportunity to acquire a second aircraft and offered Bertie a share in the smuggling racket. Bertie, not having much choice, and also wishing to penetrate the gang, accepted. Chandler and Bertie's first sortie to the south of France in the Auster went badly, and the French authorities were waiting. The Auster was hit by anti aircraft fire and they decided to land in Normandy to inspect the damage but crashed in a marshy field. Chandler abandoned Bertie and made his way back to England via a hired flight from a nearby town. Arriving at the farmhouse, Chandler walked right into the middle of a police raid mounted by Biggles and Gaskin. Chandler, knowing the game was up, was about to tell Biggles about the details of their operations when Dr. Hammal turned his gun on him and fired, narrowly missing. Chandler bolted to the hangar where he attempted to start and escape in the Piper Cub. Unfortunately, Biggles had earlier drained the fuel from the aircraft to immobilise it. Chandler neglected to check or test his engine before taking off and crashed shortly after leaving the ground. Chandler was later found dead from injuries sustained in the crash. Category:People Category:Biggles characters Category:Air Police era characters